Ruffed Grouse, shot size?

#4 steel, it's easy to get and doesn't take many pellets to take one down on the wing. I find less pellets in the meat which is appreciated too, I won't eat something or feed it to my family if taken with lead. So bigger pellets, and steel for this fellow. I've never understood why people choose 7 1/2 or 8 shot and pepper the meat, #4 or even bigger brings them down with more authority and less hits. You also have better range.
 
I get very few pellets in the meat with #7 1/2's... the key is to couple it with a more open choke... birds don't come down crippled with #7 1/2's... they are stone dead.

Steel is not a bad idea though... I bought a couple flats of Kent steel 20 gauge upland loads last fall and they worked out great... these loads were #7's... just a little larger than #7 1/2's for more energy with the lighter steel pellets.
 
I always use lead #6 in my 16 gauges for grouse. All chokes are wide open. I hunt over a dog and shots are taken at fleeting shadows most days. To support Ardent's finding I started using steel #6 in my Cylinder bore (now Poly Choked) model 50 12 gauge. It hits with authority and no over kill resulting in messed up table fare. I believe that #4 or #6 steel is a very viable option in the uplands..

Darryl
 
Ardent said:
#4 steel, it's easy to get and doesn't take many pellets to take one down on the wing. I find less pellets in the meat which is appreciated too, I won't eat something or feed it to my family if taken with lead. So bigger pellets, and steel for this fellow. I've never understood why people choose 7 1/2 or 8 shot and pepper the meat, #4 or even bigger brings them down with more authority and less hits. You also have better range.
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I follow your point about range but given where I hunt not an applicable parameter. Short shots before they disappear behind cover. You are shooting at birds going away and the #7 1/2 16ga always go through given the range at which the bird is being hit. Lead residue in the meat is negligible if at all. Cutting away any meat in the pellet path removes any possibility of lead residue in the breast. This was not the case when hunting with a 410. Using steel shot unfortunately is not an option in some of my older guns. Upon switching to the 16 after years of using a 410 my shots were deadly accurate for a while but sadly, reality has now set in, and I am missing with regularity once again.
 
Steel versus lead pellet.

Hhhmm, bite down onto a lead pellet by accident and there is some give. But if one accidently bites down on an errant steel pellet, it's off to the dentist.

No argument here, just my 2 bits only. This is probably the last sub-forum that I would ever want to create any disharmony in folks. ;)
 
Brutus said:
Steel versus lead pellet.

Hhhmm, bite down onto a lead pellet by accident and there is some give. But if one accidently bites down on an errant steel pellet, it's off to the dentist.

No argument here, just my 2 bits only. This is probably the last sub-forum that I would ever want to create any disharmony in folks. ;)
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Agreed

Steve
 
Nipigon Jack said:
Much better results with those then the cheap Winchester target loads so I stuck with those, or at least until I run out around 2020
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I hear ya. I actually WOUNDED two grouse last fall with Federal's Top Gun cheapo target loads in my 12 bore. That's why I tried the steel #6's. The federal loads were #8 and were tried because of recommendations of #8 shot by some very experienced grouse hunters. Target load #8 is not the ideal load for my type of hunting in any sense of the word.

Darryl
 
I prefer #8 or even 9 with a fairly open choke. On a flushing bird from behind you gat shots into innings and innards but seldom dors the light pellet make it into the meat. Less damage with the small shot in my estimation unless you are sluicing them on the ground and they are facing you.
Any shot from behind works good

Neil
 
When I was reloading shells, I shot a lot of lead #5s with great results. Since the price of lead shot skyrocketed, I've been shooting factory 1oz #6 Federals out of my 16 bores with about the same results as with #5s.

I've also shot a fair number with #6 steel and I think I might switch over to it when I run out of lead. It kills just as well and I find I get less pellets in the meat with steel.

Just my opinion.

Cory
 
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I mostly use ESTATE Purchased shotgun ammo...4s to 8s they all seem to work...sometimes I don't even know what shot size is in my chamber...I get lots of grouse. LOCATION. LOCATION. LOCATION
 
We've shot a pile of partridge with our 28's and also black powder hammer guns using 3/4, 7/8, and 1 ounce loads with 7 1/2 skeet loads.
I've shot them over labs, pointers, and without dogs and never had an issue .
I've also used 9's as well as some heavier shot but prefer 7 1/2's for my all around upland shot be it partridge or pheasant.
Cat
 
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